Pakistan Cabinet rejects salary raise for legislators
Decision to reject proposed 10% hike in salaries is in line with the austerity drive
Islamabad: Pakistan’s federal cabinet has rejected a proposal for 10 per cent increase in the basic salaries of parliamentarians including Members of National Assembly, Speaker of Assembly, Senate chairman, and their deputies.
The cabinet meeting a special session termed the salary increase against the prime minister’s austerity measures aimed at reducing government’s expenses and Prime Minister Imran Khan presided over the cabinet meeting in Islamabad on Tuesday.
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said that the decision to reject the proposed 10 per cent hike in the salaries of parliamentarians was in line with the austerity drive of the prime minister which was being implemented from day one. “The cabinet opined that it was a violation of this principle of austerity keeping in mind the present economic situation” Chaudhry said.
The parliamentary affairs ministry had moved a formal summary for 10 per cent increase in salaries of members of parliament but Fawad Chaudhary said that “the ministers have already rejected pay increase for the cabinet”.
The government had proposed that the monthly salary of the Senate chairman and National Assembly speaker should be increased from Rs205,000 to Rs225,500. The proposed raising the salary of the Senate deputy chairman and National Assembly deputy speaker from Rs185,000 to Rs203,500. The salaries of parliament members were proposed to be increased from Rs150,000 to Rs165,000, local media reported.
The ruling PTI party workers have welcomed the move to reject any further increase of salaries for legislators as inflation and price increase in the country have hit the common people hard during the last two years and the economy is still recovering from the effects of COVID-19 pandemic.